This essay interprets KrV A 592-602/B 620-630 not only as a refutation of the ontological argument, but as the place where Kant faces a more radical question: how is it possible for the human understanding —considered from the point of view of general logic— to predicate existence? The second part argues that Kant’s discussion of the thesis “‘exists’ is not a real predicate” is a contribution to the solution of that question which is independent of the discussion of the ontological argument.
